Advertisement

Couples Celebrate 2016 LGBT Wedding Expo

BY AJ TRAGER

DETROIT — Between the Lines/Pride Source hosted its largest LGBT wedding expo yet this past weekend, featuring over 110 vendors and nearly 800 attendees all packed into the lower level of MotorCity Casino Hotel. Couples and some singles, too, came from all over southeast Michigan to participate in the first LGBT Wedding Expo since marriage equality swept over the country last June.
"When we got the notice about this we said, 'Jan (Stevenson) is really putting on a party this year. We can see there are 110 vendors here that are coming out to support us and we have a few that we would like to shout out to really quick, who helped us (with our wedding),'" said Jayne DeBoer-Rowse, wife of April DeBoer.
Jayne and April are celebrities in the Michigan LGBT community. Together their case legally fought the 2004 Michigan Marriage Amendment and worked its way up the courts until it was eventually consolidated with same-sex marriage cases from three other states and then argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Jayne and April have been regular guests at the LGBT Wedding Expo and this year they brought all five of their children to celebrate love and equality.
When Jayne approached BTL publisher Jan Stevenson last year inquiring about a venue that creates wedding invitations, Stevenson was surprised to find that the famous couple who fought for LGBT rights in Michigan hadn't planned much of their wedding. Four hours and several phone calls later to LGBT Wedding Expo vendors, Stevenson and the BTL staff were able to get an entire wedding donated to Jayne and April who celebrated their wedding last August.
"Between The Lines has done a tremendous amount of publicity and (has provided) support for us throughout this whole fight. Jan is one of the biggest gifts to this community. Thank you very much to BTL, and we support them. Thank you all for coming out and supporting us in this fight, as well," Jayne concluded.

#DesiRae

Destiny Hemphill and Raven Tyus met in a work bathroom six years ago on Halloween. They were both doing work for breast cancer awareness and knew it was love at first sight when they bumped into one another.
Tyus was with another partner at the time and says that Hemphill was a bit of a trouble maker during the last cycle of her former relationship. They stayed close friends for months and were very supportive of one another.
This year, the couple plans on getting married on the sixth anniversary of their meeting. They'll both be wearing white dresses, with Tyus' dress accented in red: costumes for their expected 150-200 guests are mandatory. Tyus has picked out Hemphill's ring and her dress, but aside from that, the rest of the wedding has yet to be planned.
"We're looking at all of the basic stuff. We're going to be at Rustbelt in Ferndale, but aside from the venue and the date, we're looking for everything. She already has her dress, but I don't have mine," Hemphill said.
"We've got our photographer picked out and she's still finding a dress," Tyus said. "That's why we're sticking around, we're waiting for the next dress show."
They were impressed with the fashion show and took video of each dress and how it moved on the body. Hemphill seemed to be particularly impressed with the dresses donned in heavy amounts of rhinestones or the dresses that had long trains. Following their interaction with BTL, they headed straight over to longtime vendor B. Ella Bridal.

A small but meaningful wedding

This year Emmanuel Rosales and Pablo Ordiz will finally tie the knot after being together for 13 years. They met at a Detroit bar while they were out with friends, one thing led to another and now, post-marriage equality, they're planning their wedding.
Ordiz says that he is nervous despite being with Rosales for over a decade.
"I'm still nervous. I don't even know why," Ordiz said.
"It's not so much the marriage part — it's the whole process of making it official and showing that to your friends and family, knowing that we are a legitimate couple now," Rosales said. "Since marriage was not really an option for us, we didn't really contemplate it. Now that it is, and there are federal benefits, it definitely encourages us to get married, especially since we've been together for such a long time"
They have less than two months before the big day and came to the LGBT Wedding Expo to finalize some odds and ends of the ceremony preparations they have yet to complete, such as finding tuxedos or picking the venue.
"We came here to see good ideas and we are really impressed. There are a lot of things going on, and everything is really beautiful," Ordiz said.
This was their first LGBT Wedding Expo and even though they are planning a wedding for a small group of 35 people, they want the evening to be magical and one to remember. They've decided to work with MotorCity Casino Hotel as their venue and were really impressed with the amenities and opportunities the casino provides.
Ordiz and Rosales also stopped by a few of the adoption vendors to see what their options are. After they get married, the couple plans to expand their family and adopt children. They plan on starting with one and then integrating more children into the home as time goes on.
"We waited a long time before we could get married. I'm glad that this was available to us prior to our wedding," Rosales said.

A more classic feel

"I never thought that I'd see the day where we could get legally married in our state," Ward Supernois said.
Supernois and his partner, Larry Iddins Jr., planned a commitment ceremony a few years ago but ran into some financial trouble. They've been together for seven years and are pleased to announce their wedding date has officially been set for August of next year at Greenmead Historical Park in Livonia.
They met at the Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit where they have both attended and have been active in for many years. They're LGBT Wedding Expo veterans and ran the MCCD vendor table at the expo in the past. This year they were talking to vendors, planning their wedding and trying to find a cake maker who can cater to their artistic plans. They're expecting anywhere from 120-150 attendees at their wedding and want to make sure the day goes just the way they want.
"We shared our idea with Sweet Dreams Bakery and they said, 'Absolutely, not a problem, we can do that and expand on it,'" Iddins explained. "We collect Depression glass and we're going to take some of the designs and etchings from the Depression glass and recreate it on the cake."
They recently attended a bridal expo but were highly turned off by the treatment they received from staff and other participants. First, the organizers couldn't imagine why men would want to participate in a bridal expo, and then they couldn't figure out how to sign them in since neither Iddins nor Supernois is the "bride." After that experience, Supernois and Iddins appreciate the existence of an LGBT specific wedding expo even more.
"This is the best LGBT Wedding Expo and it gets bigger and better every year," Iddins said.
"This is how I've always envisioned it to be like," Supernois concluded.

Advertisement
Advertisement

From the Pride Source Marketplace

Go to the Marketplace
Directory default
Organizes Michigan's largest Pride celebration in downtown Detroit each June.
Learn More
Directory default
Serving the MSU and OU communities with financial services including checking, VISA, mortgages,…
Learn More
Advertisement